


metamorphosis

by jojosiewa



Series: MCYT Short Stories [8]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), The Crafting Dead
Genre: Gen, Manipulation, Minor Character Death, Sciencey shit, Zombies, bad mouse content, description of zombies, good mouse content, how zombies came to be in my favorite crafting dead, im fukcing tired, minor OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 20:29:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19342060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojosiewa/pseuds/jojosiewa
Summary: met·a·mor·pho·sis/ˌmedəˈmôrfəsəs/noun1. a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.jin tells a story about three scientists in a lab which ultimately ends with a zombie apocalypse.





	metamorphosis

**Author's Note:**

> im so sorry the gray/xavier shows
> 
>  
> 
> [if this doesnt work im going apeshit but heres the music i listened to when i was writing this](https://open.spotify.com/user/josi.er/playlist/796blhHZhIpnqd2uUO1uHV?si=o5DaN4cVSDusd47UCkpydg)

[April 20, 2016]

“This is the lab, we have another science type here, he’s a genius, you two together will save us all in no time, I’m sure of it.” Major Gray walked up to the doors of the lab, moving his gun to his back and putting a gentle, almost fatherly hand on Jin’s back. “You’re gonna be okay. You don’t need to start right away, there’s no pressure.”

“No pressure. Yeah right,” Jin mumbled, adjusting his coat. “Let me just meet the guy. Then I’m gonna have a hell of a nap, I’m telling you now.” Gray laughed at the comment, smiling down at the young doctor. Young to him, at least.

“You do whatever you need to get settled,” he assured, and he opened the door for Jin. Jin stepped inside, hands in his pockets, feeling awkward. He felt an odd sense of deja-vu. The voice that came next, however, hit him like a freight train.

“Gray, what the hell is it now-” Professor Xavier stopped walking and stared at Jin, who perked up and looked right back with wide, caramel eyes. “Jin,” he breathed. “Jin!”

“Xavier!” Jin dropped his bag and ran to Xavier, who held out his arms. They embraced, both so relieved. Xavier pulled away, hands gripping Jin’s arms. He looked back at Gray with a grateful gaze before refocusing on Jin.

“You’re okay! Oh thank god, when I heard the White House was overrun and the government collapsed I tried to go to you but they wouldn’t let me leave! Thank god you’re alright, thank god thank god, I was so worried you hadn’t made it,” Xavier said, hysterical. He pulled Jin back in for another hug. Jin laughed and hugged back.

“Oh my god, Xavier, I’m so glad you’re okay too. I’m glad they didn’t let you leave, I can’t see you going around killing walkers. No offense,” Jin said, smiling wide. Xavier finally let him go.

“I can’t see that with you, either, that’s why I was so worried,” Xavier sighed, composing himself. He shook his head. “What’s in the past is in the… past…” he trailed off, his eyes widening again. “Ross. Oh god, Ross didn’t hurt you did he? I heard you got into some close encounters with him. Too close.”

“Xavier, I’m okay,” Jin scoffed, getting Xavier to take a couple deep breaths with him. “Don’t worry about me, he didn’t hurt me, didn’t speak a word to me either.”

Xavier smiled and gave Jin one last hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” the Professor said. “Two years, right?” He took another step back and looked Jin up and down; the stubble, the slight muscle, the scars, the tired, stressed look in his eyes.

“Somewhere around there,” Jin laughed uncomfortably, noticing the pity. “I turned thirty recently.” There was a pause. “Don’t look at me like that, Xavier, I’m okay! I’m okay,” he said, but Xavier was avoiding eye contact. “Hey. Let’s just, get to the medicine, alright? What have you got down so far?”

Xavier seemed to snap out of it for the time being. He smiled and led Jin to the table and talked and the both of them changed the subject so fast that Major Gray got whiplash. “I’m gonna go,” Gray said, and Xavier paused. He paused and gave a casual salute, still smiling. It made Gray smile. He saluted back, and then left the two old friends to catch up.

[--]

“Jin, I’m glad I caught you, do you want some hot cocoa? Or are you going to head to bed?” Nick pointed over his shoulder at the microwave in the kitchen. He was holding a packet of hot cocoa powder. He had been so nice, and Jin felt too bad to say no. Plus, he could already smell it, and it was enticing.

“Can’t say no to hot cocoa,” he said, leaning on the kitchen table. Nick smiled kindly and dumped a packet into a cup. He handed a cup that had already been made over to Jin. As Nick was stirring, Jin asked, “Why aren’t you asleep? We had a long day. I just wanted to catch up with Xavier, I really missed him and we ended up talking a lot more than I thought. It’s pretty late.”

Nick took a moment to reply. “I don’t know, I just, I kinda wanted to talk to you, actually.” He put his cup in the microwave and turned it on. Jin watched it spin around, before Nick turned and walked up to him. Jin always felt so much taller next to Nick. “It’s weird, how you know Xavier. And how you both know Ross, it’s just, it’s like a clash of worlds y’know.”

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty wild. Despite this, Nick, not all scientists know each other,” Jin joked. “It’s a crazy coincidence, but at the same time, it makes sense. Since we know Ross, we’d be most apt to, to fight his disease. I’m so glad you found me. It’s the least I can do for running away, back, back then.” There was silence, and then the microwave beeped. Nick took out the cup and walked out of the kitchen, taking a seat at the mess hall. Jin sat across from him, holding his cup tightly in his hands.

“What do you mean, running away, Jin?” Nick asked, seeming concerned. Jin took a sip of his hot cocoa and shook his head.

“It’s such a long story, I’d really have to start from the beginning, and you don’t wanna hear all that.” Jin waved it off, but Nick leaned forward.

“Try me,” he said, and Jin leaned back, shocked.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Jin pulled in his chair. “I was in my third year of grad school in 2008, well on my way to getting my PhD in biochemistry.” He paused. “You look shocked. I skipped the second grade and then I graduated a year early from high school, so I was two years ahead of most others, which really does make a difference. Anyway, there was an apprenticeship available here, at the CDC, so that I could get some money, and not to mention experience. I started over my summer break.”

[June 29, 2008 -- 6 years, 3 months, and 2 days until the end of the world]

Jin got out of the car, running fingers through his dark hair and snapping a hair clip onto it to keep his bangs back. He slung his bag over his shoulder and shut the car door, his hand sweaty. He tried to take deep breaths as he looked up at the modern building ahead of him; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. “Okay,” he breathed, and he straightened his posture.

When he opened the door, all the people walking by almost immediately made him anxious. It almost reminded him of crowded high school hallways. It made him told on tight to the strap of his bag as he approached the receptionist. “How can I help you?” the young man said. He was tall, dirty blond, and his eyes were hazel. He wore black rimmed glasses. Jin paused for a moment.

“The, the, apprenticeship. I was just wondering where to go, um, like, which lab? Oh, I’m Jin Huang,” Jin said, and he tried to smile. The receptionist’s eyes flashed with recognition, and he suddenly grinned.

“Huang, yeah, you’re Doctor Ross’ newest victim! Hah!” The receptionist stood up and held out his hand. Jin cursed in his head and shook it awkwardly, still attempting a smile. “I’m Francis Burke, and I wish you luck.”

“You’re making me nervous…!” Jin laughed, glancing away for a moment. He was indeed very nervous. “Is this doctor a handful?” he asked, biting his lip. Francis let out a quiet chuckle.

“He’s definitely a character, but don’t worry. A lot of people here are, myself included, I guess. Except they’re smart characters,” he explained, looking behind Jin. “Speaking of, Professor X, good morning!”

Jin turned to see a man walking in, a heavy looking bag slung over his shoulder, the strap crossing over his chest. He looked to be in his thirties. His black hair was damp and combed to the side, his eyes were a deep blue, and he was clean shaven. He looked tired, and he covered his mouth with his hand as he yawned. He walked up to the desk and patted it with his hands. “Francis, hello, do you know if Ross’ apprentice is in yet?” he asked, and Jin was taken aback by his accent. Was that Scottish? British? Jin just settled on European.

“That, that would be me,” Jin said, waving. The man grinned and held out a hand.

“Oh wonderful! You mustn’t worry, I’ll take you where you need to go. I’m Xavier White, I’m a professor of biochemistry. I work with Doctor Ross. Botts, as you know him.” His handshake was aggressive and he seemed like a really fast paced guy right off the bat. “Come with me, kid,” he said, and Jin nodded. The two walked through the CDC, and Jin was barely able to keep up. “How old are you?” Xavier asked, and Jin sighed. There it was.

“Twenty two,” Jin said bluntly. He knew what would come next: ‘In your third year of grad school?’

“Twenty two and you’re in your third year of grad school?” Xavier asked, his eyes wide. Jin nodded. Next he knew Xavier would say: ‘That’s incredible. You’re amazing, you’re so smart, you’re a prodigy,’ etcetera etcetera.

“That’s…” Xavier looked away, and Jin waited for it. “I’m sorry. So sorry. No offense, but that honestly sounds awful.”

Jin stopped walking, his mouth parted and his hands clamped on the strap of his bag. Xavier stalled and turned around. He smiled. “Come on now,” he said. “You’ll love it here nonetheless, I’m sure of that at least.”

And Jin smiled back. The two kept walking. “How’s the Doctor?” Jin asked, and Xavier took a deep breath. “Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. Should I be worried?”

“No no no, don’t be worried. Ross is, he’s just eccentric, is all. Very focused on work, very blunt. He says what he means. He’s also really fascinated with cells and he has a lot of experiments he conducts on his own but that’s, that’s all of us I guess. He’s not a people person, it’s a little odd that he let administration give him an apprentice. Or maybe they made him. Sorry, I talk too much sometimes,” Xavier rambled, scoffing softly. Jin shook his head.

“You’re good. Ah.” The two stopped once they reached a door. LABORATORY 13 was written across the double doors in white lettering. On the wall next to them there was a list of names on a plastic sign. There were a couple empty slots below it where more name plates could slide in. on the top of the list was Botts, Ross.

“They’ll give you one soon. Oh god,” Xavier gasped and turned to Jin. “Your name. What’s your name? I’m so sorry.”

“Jin Huang, and it’s really okay. I’m pretty awkward, and it slipped my mind.” Jin waved it off. Xavier frowned and apologized again. “Really, it’s okay.”

“Ready to go in?” Xavier pointed to the door. Jin took a deep breath, and he nodded. Xavier pulled a lanyard out of his bag and pressed his ID to a scanner. A light turned green, and he opened the door. “Ross, the apprentice is here. Be nice!” he said, ushering Jin into the lab. A man who looked about Xavier’s age, maybe older, was peering into a microscope. He lifted his hand and waved it unenthusiastically in what almost seemed like a shooing motion.

“Put your stuff on the coat rack, get a lab coat, observe but stay out of my way. Don’t talk unless I ask a question.” The man’s voice was quiet and calm. Xavier huffed, grabbed a lab coat, and walked over to a desk, dropping his bag on the chair.

“I said be nice, Ross.” Xavier put on his coat as he walked next to Ross. “Would you please introduce yourself, the kid didn’t drive up here to be your assistant. He’s here to learn, and you will teach him. Remember you’re getting paid extra for this,” he whispered.

There was a moment of silence where Jin hung up his bag and took a lab coat. When he looked back, Ross was staring at him with pure gray eyes, as if observing. Jin stuttered. “I’m Jin Huang. It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Mr. Botts.” He shuffled closer. Ross pushed back some of his pale brown hair and nodded.

“Ross is fine,” he said, and Xavier raised his eyebrows. “What are you standing there for? Come here.” Ross waved Jin over, stepping aside a bit. He gestured towards the microscope. “Can you tell what it is?” he asked, still watching Jin with blank eyes that seemed to serve no other purpose than to purely take in information.

Jin looked into the microscope. “Rabies,” he said with no hesitation. “The rabies virus, it uh, these are burned into my brain, I had a couple tests on them.” He looked back up at Ross, who stared for a while.

Then he smirked.

[April 20, 2016]

“Wait, so Ross liked you? I just thought he hated everyone all the time,” Shark mumbled. He had gone to the kitchen to get a snack, but stayed for the story. AK had soon followed suit. They were both sitting to Nick’s left.

Jin shrugged. “I don’t really think, he could, like people in the same way we can. I’m no psychologist but I have my theories on what his head was like. But back then, I thought we had a connection. We were both so smart, or, we thought we were. I’d stay late at the lab with him. I’d study and he’d work on his side projects. I really admired the guy, believe it or not,” he explained, and the three listeners frowned. Jin stopped for a moment. “I thought he was… I wanted to be like him. I knew I could never be charismatic like Xavier, and back then emotions… seemed so trivial in the grand scheme of things.”

Around the corner, Xavier was leaning against the wall, his hand covering his mouth.

[August 19, 2009 -- 5 years, 1 month, and 12 days until the end of the world]

Jin glanced up when Xavier stood from his desk, smiling and taking his coat off. He’d worn a nicer shirt that day; it was a slightly darker shade of blue than usual. Jin watched as Xavier thought to himself for a moment and unbuttoned the top button, which he never did. “I’m heading out early,” he said, swaying from his tiptoes to his heels and waiting eagerly for a response. Jin entertained him.

“Why would that be, Professor?” Jin asked, chuckling, and Xavier beamed.

“I’m going on a date!” Xavier combed through his hair with his fingers. Jin gasped and lightly clapped. “He’s a bit of a jock, but he has a big heart, so I don’t anticipate any issues.”

“That’s so great, Xavier, you’ll do great! Damn, I wanna leave early for a date too!” Jin sighed, looking down at his work. Ross narrowed his eyes. “I haven’t really had any luck in that regard, like, ever.”

Xavier laughed as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “Spend less time at the lab then, kid,” he said, ruffling Jin’s hair as he passed. “You don’t get any younger, I realized that way too late. I’m making up for it though!” He stopped at the door, looking at Ross, as if waiting for something. When Ross said nothing, Xavier shook his head and scoffed. “Thanks, Jin, for being happy for me,” he said. “You’re a good kid.”

“Of course,” Jin said. Xavier smiled at him, and then left. Jin looked at Ross, nudging him lightly with an elbow. “You should’ve said something. Xavier was really excited, and we’re all friends here, aren’t we?”

“Things like dates aren’t worth the time, Jin. They only serve to be distractions from what’s really important. That was always Xavier’s problem. It’s why he took longer than people like us to complete tasks; he was always preoccupied by things that didn’t matter,” Ross droned, and Jin frowned.

“I may not understand Xavier all the time, but that’s no reason to be rude,” he said.

Ross said nothing more on the subject. He just stared.

[December 31, 2009 -- 4 years, 9 months, and 1 day until the end of the world]

“Me and a couple others are going to a bar for the countdown, you two want to come?” Xavier asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards the door. Ross just shook his head no. Jin shrugged and scoffed.

“I should, I should probably stay here, I don’t know, Xavier,” he said, unsure. His fingers twitched, and it made him drop his pen. Xavier stomped his foot and tilted his head back.

“Jin, don’t do this to me, it’s literally ten at night, you came here straight from a college class, you’ve been working all day, and it’s about to be a whole new decade. Take a goddamn break!” he exclaimed, stepping closer. “Come on. Come with me.” He held his hands out, opening and closing them. “Come have fun.”

Jin looked at Ross, who looked back in a ‘you know what I think’ kind of way. He then looked back at Xavier, who was bouncing up and down and frantically motioning for Jin to come with him.

Jin cracked. “I’ll see you later Ross,” he said, and he smiled as he walked up to Xavier and let his senior grab his hands.

“Jin we’re gonna have so much fun! And we’ll get drunk and you’ll meet Matt and you’ll love it, I promise!” Xavier pulled Jin out the door.

[--]

Jin had never tasted beer before that night. It was disgusting in a particularly tasty way, and soon enough he was a little louder than usual, laughing with Xavier, his boyfriend, and a couple other scientists. Francis was there too. But even then, something was incredibly off, and it stopped Jin from enjoying it all.

At some point Jin and Xavier were standing together at a table. Matt was talking to Francis and some of the scientists about sports, which Xavier and Jin had drifted away from. “So?” Xavier asked, and Jin tilted his head. Xavier laughed. “How are things, Jin! Outside the lab! Got any friends? How about a crush? Tell me everything.”

Jin shrugged. “It’s just work, really. I go to my classes, I work. I go to the CDC, I work. I go home, I work some more. I haven’t had a night like this, I don’t think I’ve ever had a night like this. I’m afraid to drink any more beer.” He looked down the bottle he was holding, feeling stressed out.

“What did I give you again?” Xavier took the bottle and looked at the label. “Ah, right. This is really light, Jin, I wouldn’t worry. You don’t seem too drunk or anything either,” he said, humming. Jin took the bottle back and took the last couple sips. They were both quiet for a bit, but then Xavier said, “You need to work less. You’re very smart, and I know that, but you know, if you work like this for too long you’re gonna get burnt out. I know you want to be like Ross. You just can’t. I realized that a long time ago. And I got happier.” He took a swig of his drink and ruffled Jin’s hair. “Do this more often. Have fun, treasure the good moments, like when you’re thirty six and you get carded.”

Jin laughed. “I think the bartender thought I was twelve,” he said. He tried to ignore the whole rest of Xavier’s speech.

“Aren’t you?” Xavier seemed to take the bait.

“Oh shut up. Twenty three. Twenty three!” Jin exclaimed, forgetting only for a moment.

At that moment, Matt walked over, wrapping an arm around Xavier. “Countdown’s gonna start babe,” he said, pointing to the television. Xavier grabbed Jin’s hand and squeezed it.

“New year, new you, Jin,” he said, and he let go. Jin looked at his hand, then at the TV. The people in Times Square were screaming and waving their hands at the camera as the seconds ticked by. The countdown began. Jin tried to smile as he followed along, fist pounding against the table.

“Five, four, three, two, one!”

[January 01, 2010 -- 4 years and 9 months until the end of the world]

“Happy new year!”

Xavier and Matt kissed. Some other couples did too, and then there was a chorus of cheers and hoots. Jin stood there, trying to take deep breaths. He was starting to feel sick. He needed to get out of there. He took one step back, then another, then he turned and bolted, pushing past everyone else and escaping onto the sidewalk, the cold air hitting him and stinging his face. He found a bench by the entrance and sat down for a second, his uneven breaths making little clouds in the air. He started to tear up.

Xavier ran out next. “Jin?” he called, jogging over and sitting next to him. “Jin. Hey, kid, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t- I don’t know I just started freaking out-” Jin started to hyperventilate, and Xavier winced.

“Okay, okay, should not have asked that, hey, hey, just, let it out. You’re okay. You’re a very good kid and you can get through this.” Xavier looked around, wondering if he should call someone. “Can I do something?”

Jin shook his head. “Just don’t go,” he pleaded, leaning forward.

“I won’t.” Xavier rubbed his arms. He took off his jacket and draped it over Jin’s shoulders. Jin pulled it close and suddenly everything just spilled out.

“I can’t talk to anyone Xavier I can’t go anywhere I can’t have fun I can’t- I can’t have fun. I have a fucking practice thesis I need to write to practice for the real one and I need to find a partner and I don’t even know anyone because I never even get invited out anymore, everyone already knows I’ll say no. I always say no,” Jin rambled. “And this one time I tried, I tried so hard but this whole night all I could think about was- how much time I was wasting.”

Xavier looked at his feet. Jin wiped his eyes. “I don’t want to lecture you, ha, get it, I’m a-” Xavier stopped right there, but the joke made Jin giggle. “But if you live your life like this for any longer, I’m serious, you will regret it. I think you should spend less time with Ross. He’s not exactly the perfect influence on a young mind.”

Jin leaned on Xavier. “He’s kinda like my dad. I wanna impress him so badly, you too, Xavier.”

“Really?” Xavier smiled. “Come on. Not me.”

“I’m serious, we’ve been working together for a long time and you mean a lot to me. You teach me a lot,” Jin said. He stood up and tried to compose himself. “I’m sorry that happened, it just, I do that sometimes.”

“You’re reaching your breaking point.”

“I know I-! I, I know.” Jin took a deep breath. “I’ll try to be, better, with all that.”

“I’ll help you write your thesis if you want. Does the partner need to be a student?” Xavier stood too, smiling. “If so, I can help you find someone. There are plenty of kids like you out there-”

Jin hugged Xavier. Xavier scoffed and hugged back. “I have free reign over pretty much everything with the thesis, it’s more just for me. You can help me write it, please, please help me write it,” Jin said.

“Okay, I will,” Xavier patted Jin’s back. “Don’t worry.”

[April 20, 2016]

“That was sweet of you,” Gray said to Xavier, smirking warmly. The Professor laughed awkwardly, his face heating up. Jin rolled his eyes.

“GET. TO. THE ZOMBIES.” AK slammed his fists on the table. Shark whacked the back of his head. “Ow! Hey!”

“Ignore him,” Shark told Jin. “So, wait, did you actually listen to Xavier, because I know that I sure as hell never listened to any authority figure in my life.”

“He really didn’t,” Xavier mumbled, raising his eyebrows and leaning back in his seat. Jin narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t think he asked you,” he sassed, and Xavier sipped his tea, saying nothing more. “Anyway, I did kind of maybe sometimes listen to Xavier. Finished the thesis, it was on polio and vaccinations and it was wonderful, thank you Xavier. Nothing really eventful happened after that while I was working on getting my PhD. I worked at the CDC way less, stayed there less late, but I could tell Ross was disappointed, so I sometimes broke my own rules and worked way harder than I should’ve, I’ll admit to that. Ross was just, I don’t know, his knowledge was alluring. It attracted me. I graduated, fucking finally, the next year with a PhD in biochemistry. I was fucking done.”

“Then you applied for a full time job at the CDC and went back to your cycle,” Xavier said, and Jin sighed.

“Fine. I see your point. Anyway, that’s when, Ross started to act weird. Weirder than usual, I mean.”

[June 23, 2011 -- 3 years, 3 months, and 8 days until the end of the world]

“Oh my god Jin! Come here!” Xavier held out his arms and Jin ran into them. “Congratulations on your PhD, that’s so amazing! I can’t believe I was stuck at work while you were graduating, I feel so bad I missed it!” Xavier said, and Jin felt so loved.

“It’s okay, Xavier, my family was there. I’m just happy to be done with college,” Jin said, breaking the hug. Xavier ruffled Jin’s hair and looked back at Ross.

“He graduated and he chose to come back here for his job Ross, look at him!” Xavier said, and Ross looked up.

“Very nice. What are they gonna make you work on here, if I may ask?” Ross tilted his head, and Jin shrugged.

“I don’t really know yet. All I know is I’m gonna get to help people, and that’ll be pretty nice. I bet the three of us together could cure cancer,” Jin laughed, and Xavier’s eyes widened a bit.

“I love the enthusiasm but that’s a bold statement, and I’ve seen the cancer team around,” Xavier whistled and looked away. “They look very tired.” He patted Jin’s back and made his way back to his desk. Jin walked up to Ross and leaned on the table.

“What are you working on?” Jin asked, and Ross covered the piece of paper he was writing on with his hand. He stared Jin down with those empty gray eyes, sliding the paper away.

“You’ll see in time,” he said, and the lab sat in ominous silence for a couple moments, Jin and Ross eyeing each other, rarely blinking. “You better get to work now.”

“I will,” Jin straightened his coat and finally broke the gaze. He sat down at his desk and looked at his reflection in the screen. He could have sworn he saw Ross behind his reflection, still watching. But then his eyes flicked back to his paper, and Jin figured it was just all in his head. It had been a long day.

[March 07, 2012 -- 2 years, 6 months, and 24 days until the end of the world]

“Who ordered the lab rats?” Jin asked, kneeling by the cage and cooing to the little multicolored mice inside. “They are so adorable.” He started to stick his finger through the bars, but suddenly Ross put a firm hand on his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said, and Jin stood up. “They’re mice, I’m, testing on them. They need to be left alone and definitely not touched by anyone other than myself.” Ross squeezed Jin’s shoulder a bit hard and then let go. He walked away, and Jin looked back at the mice.

“Don’t get attached, that means,” Xavier said. He seemed tired, and was particularly annoyed with Ross that day. “This for your side project, isn’t it? Where’d you get the mice?” he asked, standing up.

“They’re authorized, Xavier, so calm down. I’m working with rabies.” Ross put gloves on and took out a mouse. Jin stepped back when Ross used a small syringe to inject a clear liquid into the mouse. “I know you don’t like mice.”

“No, I don’t like it when you inject them all willy nilly with random things just to see what happens,” Xavier said. He was starting to look angry. “You do this a lot.”

“Would you rather I experiment on people?” Ross asked in response, and for some reason, he smiled. He pet the mouse’s head with his thumb, and put it back in the cage. “There you go, Francis.”

“You named the mice?” Jin asked, and Ross shrugged.

“Figured it would be a little funny. That black one is named Jin. See you guys tomorrow,” Ross said as he left the lab. Jin looked at the mice and pinpointed the one named after him. It looked up at him and sniffed the air, reaching out and grabbing the cage. It looked as if it was telling Jin to let it out.

“I’m gonna go too,” Jin said, glancing back at Xavier, who was also gazing at the mice. “Xavier, you okay?”

“Something’s going on with Ross,” was all Xavier said. He stood up and left as well, leaving Jin alone with the mice. Francis, the one with the injection, was starting to twitch. Jin stared for a moment, and then suddenly dove for the cabinets and managed to find an empty plastic container. He took a scalpel, poked holes in the container, and unscrewed the lid. He opened the cage, took the black mouse, and put it gently into the container. He shut everything tight and followed his two partners out the lab doors, the container holding the mouse tucked into his bag.

[March 08, 2012 -- 2 years, 6 months, and 23 days until the end of the world]

Jin was wide awake when his alarm went off. He reached over, turned it off, and got out of bed sluggishly. He walked to his table, where he had placed the rodent enclosure he had bought the night before. The mouse was drinking some water, and maybe it was just Jin’s imagination, but it seemed way happier. Jin gave it some food for the day, which he had also bought last night. “Why the fuck did I,” Jin trailed off and hit his head with the heel of his hand. “I’m so stupid. Ross will know I took his mouse.”

He pulled out his phone and called Xavier. “Hello? Jin?” Xavier picked up almost immediately. He sounded wide awake.

“I did something really weird last night. I took one of Ross’ mice.”

Xavier was silent. Jin bit his nails, the anticipation eating away at him. “You did what?” Xavier finally asked, and Jin let out a breath.

“I stole the black mouse, the one that Ross named Jin. I don’t- I don’t know why but I just did it and now I’m freaking out,” Jin covered his face and tried to calm down.

“Get your rabies shot, first off. You don’t know what the hell Ross did to it. I can try to get more information out of him if you want me to.”

“The mouse is experiencing no symptoms of rabies, Xavier, I think I’m okay. Only, only the one he injected with that substance showed any signs,” Jin stuttered, remembering the twitching light brown mouse.

“Still.” Xavier’s voice almost sounded fatherly.

“O-Okay, yeah, I get you. I’ll say I’m coming into work late, then, so I can get my shot right now. Thanks Xavier.” Jin was pacing back and forth across his room, biting one of his nails so hard it bent back. He winced and covered his mouth, resisting making a noise.

“No problem. You’ll be okay, Jin, Ross is freaking me out too,” Xavier said. “I’ll see you at the lab.”

“Yeah, bye, Xavier.” Jin hung up and stared at the mouse for a little while, before he looked back at his phone to call his doctor.

[April 20, 2016]

“Wait, you stole a fucking mouse from the clutches of some mad scientist, then proceeded to go to fucking PetSmart or whatever to go get a cage, food, and toys for the mouse?” Ghetto laughed. “That sounds like something Nick would do, actually.”

“That mouse was gonna die wasn’t it. Oh my god please tell me the mouse still doesn’t die,” Nick said, and Jin put his finger to his lips.

“In due time, Nick, in due time.”

[March 08, 2012 -- 2 years, 6 months, and 23 days until the end of the world]

Jin walked into the lab in silence. His arm was starting to get sore from the shot and he was incredibly stressed out at the thought of Ross saying something to him about the mouse. He walked stiffly past Ross, who was gazing into a microscope. Jin set his things down at his desk and looked at Xavier, who shrugged.

“Jin.” Jin froze at the sound of Ross’ voice. He turned, slowly, to Ross, opening his mouth but not speaking. So instead, Ross said, “Don’t worry. Call the mouse a gift from me, I promise I did nothing to it. Your instincts are… very interesting, to say the least. You’re only human after all, and I expected you to react the way you did.”

Jin paled and nodded. “I’m sorry Ross.”

Ross waved Jin towards the cage with the mice. “If it helps you to understand my experiments by taking out a mouse that you feel connected to, so be it. But don’t pretend you’re not interested in what I’m doing.”

The injected mouse was dead. The rest of the mice were tucked in corners away from the tiny carcass. And the reality was that Jin was interested. “What are you doing?” he asked, and Ross looked over at him.

“Waiting, now,” he said, and he walked away from the cage. Jin was about to go too, when he thought he noticed movement; a twitch in the hind leg of the dead mouse. Jin blinked a couple of times, shook his head, and stepped away, chalking it up to a sleepless night.

When Jin left the cage alone, the mouse twitched again, and again, and then its eyes opened. It let out a raspy squeak, and Ross jerked his head back towards the cage.

The whole cage was gone the next day, mice and all.

[February 20, 2013 -- 1 year, 7 months, and 11 days until the end of the world]

“Yes I know mama, I saw it on TV,” Jin sighed and sat on his couch. His mouse, which had made a resting spot in his shirt pocket, squeaked. Jin held his phone to his ear with his shoulder and carefully pulled the mouse out of his pocket. “Yes I’ll be careful mama! Don’t you worry, okay? I’ll be sure to be safe out there. Okay. Bye, love you!” Jin took his phone in one hand and hung up. He let out a relieved sigh and tossed his phone aside. “Now it’s just you and me, Ji. Anything you want to do? Just hang out here? Okay.”

Jin turned the TV on, and he was immediately met with a news lady repeating the story from earlier that day. “This was the third disappearance of the year, and police still haven’t come up with a suspect,” she said. She was standing behind a house with caution tape wrapped around it, surrounded by police cars that flashed red and blue lights against her face in a surprisingly aesthetically pleasing way. Jin changed the channel, tired of hearing about it.

A behavioral analyst was sitting in a chair next to a newsman. “The reason this set of disappearances is odd is because all of the victims are different. The kidnapper seems to take no interest in gender, race, age, level of education, profession or, anything, really. It seems random so far.”

Jin turned the TV off. “Okay. Different thing then. How about I watch you run in your freaking adorable little wheel for hours because I have nothing better to do on my day off? That sounds good,” he said to his mouse. He got up and took Ji back to his cage. “Has my hospitality changed your worldview as a lab rat, Ji? Have I softened your heart? Are we best pals?”

Ji squeaked.

“I love you too.” Jin paused. “Jesus, I need more human friends.”

Just then, Jin heard his phone ringing. He left Ji in the cage and jogged back into the living room, picking up his phone. Ross was calling. Jin tilted his head curiously and slid his thumb across the screen to pick up. “Hello?”

“Hello,” Ross said. “Are you at home?”

“Ross, uh, yeah, I am, why do you ask?” Jin rubbed his arm and peered out his window for no particular reason at all.

“Watch out, if you go outside. Someone is out there, taking people. I’d hate for you to end up like those other three, disappeared, with no trace. I bet there’s more too. More that people don’t even know about, who don’t have anyone to report them missing.” Jin could feel Ross’ stare from behind the phone.

“That’s a morbid thought,” Jin whispered, stepping away from his window. “I hope that’s not the case.”

“You never know. Like I said. Stay safe out there,” Ross said, and then he hung up, leaving Jin alone in his apartment with an increasing feeling of paranoia.

[August 31, 2014 -- 1 month and 1 day until the end of the world]

“‘Cause the players gonna play play play play play and the haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate baby I’m just gonna shake shake shake shake shake, shake it off, shake it off, o-off!”

Jin laughed and turned down the music, his vocal chords sore from singing. “We’re here,” he said, still giggling. “Where should I drop you?” Francis leaned forward and squinted.

“Uhhh right up there is fine,” he pointed to the sidewalk by his apartment building. Jin pulled in and parked, resting his arm on the steering wheel. Francis smiled. “Thank you for driving me home, Jin, I really wanted to get home early to pack,” he said, pointing over his shoulder at the building.

“It’s no trouble, man, I bet my car is way better than the bus,” Jin replied, waving his hand. “Do you have a place to stay in Oregon?”

“Oh yeah, I’ll find a motel.” Francis shrugged, and Jin seemed unsure. It must’ve shown, because then Francis said, “Don’t worry about me, Huang, I’m gonna have a blast. I’ll get there, spend the night at a motel, then drive down to my brother’s graduation and surprise him. Then hopefully I’ll get the couch at my childhood house. It’ll go perfectly.” He reached over and gave Jin a hug. “Thank you again. I better go, and you should too, didn’t you leave your bag at the lab?”

“Fuck, yeah, I did,” Jin sighed. “Well, I’ll see you in a couple days?”

“Hopefully!” Francis grinned, and got out of the car. “Bye Jin!”

Jin waved and watched Francis disappear inside the building. Then he pulled out of the parking space and did an impromptu u-turn, rushing back towards the lab.

[--]

As Jin approached the lab, he heard yelling. Behind the blurred glass he saw a figure, presumably Xavier judging by the blue shirt, gesturing wildly. It was clear the yelling belonged to him, the voice was loud and clear and unmistakable. Jin started to run to the door but he stopped, and listened.

“You can’t do this! This is absolutely unethical, and it’s not even perfected! You can’t mess with anything that’s already dead!”

“People like you, Xavier, are what limit science to petty parlor tricks. We could really do something great if seemingly professional scientists avoided letting their emotions get in the way of scientific achievement and discovery.” Ross was speaking calmly, despite all of Xavier’s yelling.

“You can’t do things like this, Ross, you don’t know what you’re messing with! Death is a fundamental part of life, you do realize that right! Kill all the mice, keep them dead, and dispose of them somewhere where nothing will spread, NOW! This could kill us all, Ross, if you’re not careful. No matter how odd that seems.”

Jin unlocked the door and pushed it open. The two older adults fell silent, Xavier freezing and Ross just staring. And then slowly, Xavier composed himself, grabbed his stuff, and walked towards the door. He stopped when he was next to Jin.

“Your mentor is a madman,” he said, loud enough for Ross to hear, and then he passed Jin and left the lab. Jin looked at Ross, and stepped closer.

“What is it? What was he mad about?” Jin asked, oddly entranced. Ross picked up the cage with a mouse in it by the handle. Jin covered his nose at the smell, but almost immediately he noticed that, “Francis is alive.”

“Yeah,” Ross scoffed. “Technically.”

Francis the mouse was moving sluggishly, and his skin, where visible, was discolored. He had a limp and his eyes were gray and blank, almost as if they were void of life. And yet, he moved.

“Where’d the other mice go?” Jin peered closer at the cage.

Ross glanced away for a moment. “They’re okay,” he said. “I just wanted to show you. Xavier found out… when he wasn’t meant to. He’s small minded.” Jin winced at that, but he was entranced by the mouse that had once seemingly been dead. “He’s not like you and I. We have a greater understanding of the testing space we were given. You can feel it can’t you? The excitement?”

Jin nodded, because he could feel it. Some part of him was repulsed, like Xavier, but it was buried under wonder. All the things they could do if people could be brought back from the dead.

“I should go,” Jin said, stepping back. He was scaring himself. “I need to go.” He reached out, grabbed his bag from his desk, and left in a hurry.

[April 20, 2016]

Jin paused and looked down at his now empty mug. “I’m not, I’m not proud of this. I thought, I don’t know… I thought maybe it could be a good thing. And the fact that he did it, it was just so intriguing. I wanted to know everything he knew. I thought I did, at least.”

Xavier put a hand on Jin’s back. “He manipulated you. You didn’t know what it really meant, what his true intentions were, and that’s okay, you were young,” the Professor reassured. “You figured it out.”

Many more had come to listen since the beginning, and the room full of people was silent.

“Right. Right, the day I figured it out.” Jin shook his head. “Sorry, I did figure it out. Very soon after that.”

[September 05, 2014 -- 26 days until the end of the world]

Jin walked inside the CDC, eyes towards the ground, afraid of what he’d see when he looked up. He did anyway, and he let out a shaky sigh.

Francis still wasn’t back. Jin let out a quiet whine and walked right past reception, biting his nails. It had been six days since Francis left. Six days and no one seemed at all concerned about it, except Xavier, who kept running his mouth about it to everyone and kept making Jin think about the what ifs. Jin wanted so badly to think that Francis was alright, that he just extended his trip to stay with his family for longer, but he was naturally anxious, and his anxiety did not allow those kinds of thoughts. There was some twisted magician making people in Atlanta disappear, and Francis hadn’t been seen in six days.

Jin walked into the lab, eyes still wide, to see Xavier and Ross on complete opposite ends of the room. This behavior on Xavier’s part had been going on since he’d seen Ross’ resurrected mouse six days ago. Xavier avoided Ross like the plague, which proved difficult. Xavier almost seemed afraid to an extent Jin thought unnecessary. Because of this, Jin didn’t speak to Xavier during those six days. He couldn’t stand the looks Xavier gave him; disappointment and disbelief and fear. The lab was silent.

“Jin,” Ross said, and Jin walked over, like a dog being summoned by its owner. “I need to show you something incredible. But it can’t be here. If anyone asks, I’m inviting you to dinner.” Ross wrote an address on a piece of paper and slid it towards Jin, who took it and folded it up. “My experiments have furthered.”

Jin nodded. “Yeah, alright. I’ll come over.”

“Of course you will.”

Xavier was watching, his breathing labored, as Jin and Ross exchanged a conversation he couldn’t hear. He tried to fight back tears, hoping he hadn’t lost Jin completely, and shameful that he didn’t have the strength to approach the boy.

[--]

The address that Ross gave was for an old cabin out in the woods. Jin’s hands were tight on the steering wheel and his eyes kept nervously glancing at the darkness surrounding his car. Soon, he pulled up to the cabin, ears ringing to offset the silence of the surrounding woods. He got out, locked his car, and walked up to the cabin. Each step on the porch creaked under his feet, and he winced as the noise shot through the silence.

The door was wide open. The windows were fuzzy and the tacky looking curtains were shut. Vines crept up the walls and the whole place seemed awfully old. Jin wondered if it was all some kind of elaborate joke. Maybe Francis and Xavier and Ross would jump out and say something like, “Sike! Ross has been normal this whole time this is all a prank we wanted to freak you out hahahaha!” Or maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he fell asleep in his car. Maybe he swerved off the road and maybe he was dead and maybe this was the entrance to hell itself. Maybe he hadn’t been good enough.

Nevertheless, he walked inside, fearing the disappointment of his mentor. “Ross?” he called, and he got no answer. He covered his nose and mouth as the putrid smell hit him. Something smelled rotten, but worse. “Ugh, Ross?” He flicked on the lightswitch, and the lights flickered for a second and then shut off again. He sighed and turned on his phone’s flashlight. When he pointed it at the ground, he could have sworn he saw something scurry past, something like a mouse. He shook it off and pointed the flashlight around. “Okay,” he said, trying to laugh. “If this is a joke, please quit it. This is the right address, I know it is. So why the hell, why the hell is everything like this. This can’t be right. This can’t be-”

An inhuman growl resonated up from below. Jin gasped and nearly dropped his phone, whipping the flashlight towards the noise. It was coming from the kitchen. He inched ever closer, his curiosity getting the best of him. He reached the kitchen and noticed nothing. He took a deep breath. “This has to be a dream,” he said, and yet, when he willed the lights to come on, nothing happened.

Another growl broke the silence, this time directly below him, and that’s when he noticed he was standing on a hatch. He stepped off, leaned down, and slowly pulled it open, shining his flashlight downward. “I should just go,” he said, as he began to lower himself down below. He held his phone in his mouth and climbed down the ladder. It seemed to go on forever, and the growling was getting louder, and Jin’s hands were sweaty and he was starting to breath shallower and shallower and--

His foot came in contact with the ground. He stood, stepping away from the ladder and returning his phone to his hand. He barely realized how much he was shaking as he approached the source of the growls; a cage in the back of the room. He pointed his flashlight around, and his heart sank. It was a lab.

He could feel it, his hair sticking up, his ears ringing harder, his breath getting tighter. And before he saw what was inside the cage it was all coming together in his head; he was smart, after all. The smell and the setting and the secrecy, the resurrected mouse’s name and the way the growls and grunts and groans almost sounded familiar. And yet Jin Huang kept walking until he was standing right in front of it.

Francis, or not quite Francis anymore, stared at him from the other side of the cage, eyes gray and lifeless. Its skin was peeling and bleeding, almost decomposing. It was skinny, its eyes sunken into their sockets. It was obviously the source of the smell; it was a walking corpse. Flies flew around it and as Jin moved the light the thing mindlessly followed it with its eyes. The hair, previously thick, was thin, matted, with bald patches, some bloodied, like hair had been ripped out. It groaned, its teeth clacking, and suddenly it noticed that Jin was alive. It groaned again, louder this time, and pushed against the cage, making Jin flinch and shriek. He stumbled back and fell, only to feel crawling on his back. Mice squeaked and cried under him and he screamed again, scrambling to get to his feet. He clenched his phone and pointed it towards where he thought the ladder was.

His flashlight shone right on Ross. He was standing right in front of the entrance, and he didn’t flinch, but Jin saw his pupils constrict as the light illuminated his blank face. He reached over, and flicked on a lightswitch. Jin winced and covered his eyes at the sudden burst of light. “Jin,” Ross said, feigning shock. Jin looked up and squinted, and he noticed that Ross’ lab coat was bloodied. “You aren’t supposed to be here this early.” But Ross was smiling and the words were said in the same way as when he’d mentioned Xavier wasn’t supposed to see the mouse; fake and forced. It was almost as if that, and this too, were indeed intended to happen.

“TO PIT XAVIER AND I AGAINST EACH OTHER,” blinked on a bright neon sign in Jin’s brain. “TO CONVINCE ME XAVIER WAS TOO EMOTIONAL.”

Jin wanted to cry.

“AND IT WORKED.”

“Isn’t it amazing?” Ross asked, stepping closer. Jin stepped back and looked around. There were more cages, filled with more people. He recognized them. They were on the news.

“The missing persons,” Jin mumbled. “You are the… you…” He couldn’t form words.

“Yes, unfortunately, I had to take test subjects from unlikely places. Can’t exactly buy lab humans like lab mice, can we?” Ross scoffed. He stopped walking and looked down. Jin did too, and he noticed the mice scurrying around the floor of the lab. “A bit unsanitary, all the mice. But I wanted to see how they acted when they were free. It was a massacre.” Ross laughed and kicked an infected mouse away. “One didn’t bite you did it? That would be no good.” Jin shook his head. “Good. Jin, are you afraid of me?”

Jin was shaking violently and his eyes were wide with terror. Of course he was afraid of Ross. “No,” he said, and he cleared his throat as a thought came to mind. “I’m not afraid, Ross. I’m…” he paused and stared, trying so hard to compose himself. “I’m amazed.”

Ross raised his eyebrows. “Are you now?” he droned, smirking. “Y’know, I truly did make this all happen with you in mind. I thought we could work together on this. When you’re available, of course, I know the CDC has you working late nights.”

“I, I would be honored,” Jin lied through his teeth because what else could he do? If he confronted Ross, what would become of him? Would he end up just another victim of Ross’ twisted experiments, left alone to die and come back as a… as a zombie? Was that what they were? “I’m truly honored. I’m pretty tired, though, and I should probably, take a shower, all that. But I’m serious. I want to work with you.”

Ross smiled, but there was a glint of knowing in his eyes. Jin froze, and waited for a response, an action, anything. “Okay,” Ross finally said. He stepped aside. “Go on home now, tend to your little mouse friend, do everything you need to do to process. I know this offer is a lot.”

Jin nodded. “Um. Bye.” He walked up to the ladder, horrified of turning his back to Ross.

“Goodbye, Jin.”

Jin climbed up, got on his feet, and walked out of the cabin, holding his breath the entire time. He didn’t let himself breathe until he was in his car, when he took a sharp inhale and leaned on the steering wheel, his eyes welling up with tears and his body shaking so hard with fear so overpowering that he couldn’t move. He was stuck, hunched over, his hands covering his stomach. He was hyperventilating and sobbing and so, so alone. He tried to calm down enough to start his car. He was successful, and he turned his car around and drove way too fast across the dirt path and onto the main road. He drove for a couple minutes, trying to convince himself he was okay, but he was still breathing short, quick breaths and after a couple moments it got so bad he began to feel nauseous and lightheaded, black spots invading his vision. He swerved over to the side of the road and pulled the key out, gasping for air, trying desperately to calm down. But in his attempts, he only got worse. He climbed over to the other side and pushed the door open, stumbling into the fresh air. He stood and stared right into the woods where he’d seen something truly vile and horrifying.

He ran back to his car and slammed the door shut, unsure why he got out in the first place. He whimpered and reached for his phone, unlocking it and calling Xavier. He put the phone to his ear and tried to take deep breaths. “Jin? Jin what’s wrong?” Jin heard the increasing worry in Xavier’s voice. “Jin? Are you there? Say something buddy, it’s okay, whatever it is, I can help.” Jin opened his mouth, but no sound came out. “Try to stay calm. Jin? Jin please answer me kid-”

Jin hung up and tossed his phone aside. He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t say anything. He leaned forward, as if hit, and he screamed until his throat was sore.

[September 21, 2014 -- 10 days until the end of the world]

Jin had been staring down at the letter for a long time. He’d brought it to work, sat at his desk, and just stared. He didn’t get very much work done in the past few days, since Ross revealed his true intentions.

“I started with rabies,” he’d said one day. “And I messed with it, made it stronger, added, removed, changed… and I came up with this. Real life zombies. The infection kills the subject, but then brings them back. But not the same. They’re like corpses, actively decomposing, but still walking. And they have a primal need for food. Anything they can get their hands on. They’ll eat people, that was shown with the mice. And it’s transmitted through body fluid. Bites would be most common.”

Jin had to excuse himself and go throw up in the bathroom.

Ross didn’t prod Jin about the formula too much, except when he was bored, and then he’d walk around Jin’s desk, out of Xavier’s earshot, and describe it for hours, almost as if he was testing how much of it Jin could take. Jin didn’t sleep. He barely ate, because the whole thing made him lose his appetite. Xavier certainly noticed all of this. Ross left for a moment the day after the discovery and Xavier rushed over to Jin. He put a hand on Jin’s back, and Jin flinched away, and Xavier said, “That phone call. Jin, are you alright? You can tell me.” It sounded like Xavier was going to cry and all Jin could do was sit there and feel like scum of the earth. From then on whenever Ross left, Xavier would sit by Jin and say nothing, only be there, and even that helped a little bit.

Ross mumbled and left to go get more beakers, and Xavier went about his routine, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Jin. Xavier peered at the letter, and Jin noticed, glancing over at him. Jin sighed and slid the letter over to Xavier, who picked it up and read it over.

“Jin, oh my god. Jin.” Xavier looked back at Jin, smiling a bit. “This is incredible. A job at the White House? This is the opportunity of a lifetime and,” he stopped. Jin was crying. Xavier gasped and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. Jin hugged his friend and cried into his shoulder. “Run away, Jin. Run far away, if you know what’s good for you. I don’t know what kind of thing Ross roped you up into, what experiments he describes when he goes over and talks to you, but he can’t hurt you if you run away. I don’t think he’s the violent type either. Just, you just need to go.”

Jin pulled away and wiped his eyes. “You were right about him, he doesn’t think the same way we do, Xavier, he’s not- he’s not a good person. He’s a very very bad person but I am in a very tough situation right now, I know something and if I go off talking or opposing him who knows what he’s going to do to me. To you. To the people I care about. That’s why I’ve been so… like this. I’m sorry but I really can’t talk to you,” he rambled, and Xavier leaned back.

“What the hell did you see that night Jin?” the Professor asked. “What did he do?”

“Would you like to know too?” Jin and Xavier both froze at the sound of Ross’ voice. He was standing there, unmoving. “Because I can show you.”

Jin covered his mouth and looked over at Xavier, shaking his head violently. But Xavier wasn’t paying attention to the warning. “I’ll bite,” he said, standing up. “I’ll see what the hell you’re up to.”

Jin suddenly stood too. “I’ll go with you both,” he said, and Xavier glanced over at him.

“No you won’t.”

“Yes I will,” Jin said, giving Xavier a pleading look. Xavier gave in and nodded.

“We’re both going.”

Ross grinned. “Great, follow my car to my house, it’s a bit of a drive, be warned,” he said, and Xavier frowned.

“It’s the middle of the day,” he said, and Ross let out a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t worry much about that. Come on.” Ross took off his coat and walked towards the door. Xavier and Jin exchanged a glance.

[April 20, 2016]

“You guys are being really fuckin’ dumb here,” AK said, and Jin tilted his head, amused. “I’m just saying, you work at the fucking CDC, why don’t you bust his ass, rat him out to the fuckin’ disease cops or something?”

“It’s not that easy,” Xaver sighed. “It was a less than ideal world, if we sent out a notice to authorities without proof there would need to be an investigation, and that would take a long time, too long.”

Jin nodded. “If we did that would give him enough time to hide everything. I’m sure that hatch in the cabin was way more hidden than when he was just letting me in so I could discover his work. And no doubt he had other places too. Spoiler alert but he had a lab in his house, in that cabin, another cabin near DC, and so many other places, I’m sure.”

“Fucking shit,” AK whistled, leaning back in his seat. “Was it really inevitable? All of this? I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse, fuck.” Nick patted his back.

“Continue, Jin,” Nick said.

[September 21, 2014 -- 10 days until the end of the world]

“I seriously think we should call the police, or someone at the CDC, or something,” Jin mumbled. “I was terrified to but I mean, I don’t know, what if they can catch him?” The two scientists were silent after that, because they already knew the truth. Jin shook his head, silently saying, “Never mind. Thanks for driving me, by the way.” Xavier’s eyes were focused on Ross’ car, and he was oddly stern. Jin looked down. “I’m sorry I just-”

“Why can’t you just tell me. Then we can come up with a plan other than blindly rushing in to solve a problem that I have no clue about. Even though I don’t think Ross is dangerous you’re making this seem like a suicide mission and it’s kind of freaking me out. Get it?” Xavier chastised, and Jin was quiet for a while. “I’ve known Ross since college, we had a lot of the same classes. I know him. I know he has this weird fascination with unorthodox methods of experimenting, and I know he more or less thinks that everything and everyone is his factor to manipulate. I know he’s manipulating us. He’s been doing it for years, especially to you, and I kept on trying to…” he paused, and took a shaky breath. “To steer you away from him but I know his pull is strong and I understand that you became fascinated with his work. It took me a couple failed relationships to realize that I was focusing too much on him, and work. It was what he wanted and because he couldn’t do it to me he did it to you and I’m so sorry. I should’ve tried harder but I didn’t want to push you away, either. I failed and I’m sorry.”

Jin gasped and put a hand on Xavier’s shoulder. He processed it for a moment and then said, “You’re wrong. You’re such a great influence and I knew that this all was wrong the moment I laid eyes on it even though Ross tried to keep us from being friends I just, I just wanted so badly to impress him. I don’t like disappointing people.”

Xavier sighed. “I get that. You’re too young for this, you always were, that’s what I always thought,” he said. “Now. Can you please tell me what the fuck is going on?”

Jin took a deep breath. “Yeah. Ross, was working with rabies. And he developed a disease. Y’know, that made Francis the mouse come back to life.” Xavier nodded. “Well, he improved it more and, and… the real Francis… along with the others that have been disappearing… are now… are now… are now zombies. Real actual zombies and I know it sounds ridiculous but that’s what I saw-”

“Zombies,” Xavier mumbled. “He- wait- he’s responsible for the disappearances? Holy shit, Jin, why didn’t you,” he stopped and shook his head. “He’d outsmart any cop. Any investigator. You’re a smart kid. But you should’ve told me.”

“I thought he was gonna take me and turn me into one of those things, maybe you too. I didn’t exactly want that, and I didn’t want you to go through what I was going through either. So I went along.” Jin looked down at his hands, ashamed.

“For half a fucking month, Jin! You must be-” Xavier paused to gape. “Holy shit. Holy fucking shit Jin this is all so much. I’m so sorry I just thought Ross was a little out of it when it comes to emotions, this is complete disregard for human life, this is all completely fucking insane. Do you know what he wants to do?”

Jin shook his head. “No. I don’t know if he wants to release it or keep taking people or what. All I know is that he thinks it’s all just an experiment. I don’t know what to do.”

Xavier tried to stay calm. “Okay. Okay. We need to, we need to come up with something. A plan. We don’t know what he thinks he’s gonna do to us. But we can’t let it happen, whatever it is. And we need to get a copy of that formula. If we get it and hold onto it we can reverse engineer it and make a cure out of it,” he stuttered. “That… simple…”

Jin groaned at the thought. “I… I guess that’s a plan,” he said, and Xavier nodded.

“That’s a plan.”

[--]

“We’re here, I guess,” Xavier mumbled as they pulled into the driveway of a large house in a wealthy neighborhood. “Jesus, this is his house.” He parked and reached over to the glove compartment. “Okay, don’t freak out,” he said, and he opened it. He lifted a rag and some papers and revealed a pistol. Jin’s eyes widened.

“Oh my god,” he whispered, and Xavier quickly took it and stuck it under the back of his shirt and jacket, which was enough to make it unnoticeable. “Xavier, you know how to shoot a gun?”

“Oh, barely, my father just called me when the disappearances were happening and rattled off about how I should get a gun and told me how to use it… but I only half paid attention admittedly. I mean I got a gun, so like, aim, pull the trigger and a bullet comes out, right? Last last last resort,” Xavier explained, and he got out of the car. Jin gulped and followed.

“You guys made it,” Ross said, waving them over. Xavier and Jin shut the car doors and stared up at the surprisingly big house. Jin shivered, and Xavier rubbed his back soothingly.

“We’ll be okay. We’ll be okay,” Xavier tried to reassure them both, but it wasn’t working. They stepped up to the house and Ross held the door open for them. When they stepped in, they were painfully aware of Ross closing the door behind them. They exchanged a glance to tell each other so.

“Y’know, I know you’re not here to understand me, Xavier. I know why you’re really here,” Ross chuckled. Xavier and Jin turned around to face him. “You think emotions make you better than me, you think you can keep Jin from the truth by clouding his judgement. I’ll prove to you you’re wrong soon enough.”

“I refuse to play your sick game, Ross, so skip the fucking monologue and show me,” Xavier hissed, walking closer to Ross. “Show me what you’re doing right fucking now.”

Ross stared him down, clicking his tongue and nodding. “Alright. This way then,” he said, leading Xavier and Jin across the house and down a small stairway to a locked door. He took out a key and unlocked the door, pushing it open. The smell immediately hit Jin and Xavier. Jin covered his nose and mouth with his hands and Xavier stood at the entrance, too shocked to move.

There were more walking corpses in cages, snarling and biting and groaning at the sight of a living human. Xavier looked around, breathing heavily through his mouth. He looked back at Ross. “You’re a monster,” was all he said. And then he turned back, and against all his primal instincts, walked further inside to try to find a copy of the formula.

Jin was really not enjoying this plan. He started to follow, but Ross grabbed his shirt and pulled him back out. “Jin. Take him out,” he said, and he placed a syringe in Jin’s palm. “He can’t live after this, I hope you know that. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.”

Jin gaped and stuttered. “I-Is this the formula. You want me to-”

“Sacrifices for science, Jin. It’s necessary.” Ross squeezed Jin’s palm, and then let it go. “Think of it as a donation. Science is his love, right? He’ll become his work. It’ll only hurt for a second.”

Jin was frozen in place for a long time. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he uncapped the needle. He walked into the lab, and this time did not notice the door closing behind him after Ross stepped inside.

Xavier did notice, however, and he whipped around just in time for Jin to slam him against a table and lift the syringe up. Xavier shouted and grabbed Jin’s arm, holding the needle inches away from his neck. “Jin what the fuck!” he yelled, and then Jin winked. Xavier gripped Jin’s wrist tighter, his eyes widening at the syringe. “Jin,” he said, so glad he took those improv classes. “Jin please don’t do this. You know me, Jin, please.”

“Don’t hold back,” Ross’ voice echoed throughout the room. “He means nothing to you in the long run. You’ll lose him either way, believe me. If you or I don’t get to him the infection will, once it’s out there.”

Jin and Xavier looked at each other, shocked to their cores. “You’re going to spread it,” Xavier gasped, reaching behind him with his free hand. He could feel the gun pressing against his back.

“Imagine how nice it’ll be, being patient zero. A perfect role for you,” Ross walked closer. “You have a lot of friends, a lot of people who’d come to your aid. But it’ll be too late for them, won’t it Xavier? At your own hands, they’ll perish, and it’ll spread. It’ll spread far, Xavier, and society’s collapse will be imminent. All because of-” Ross put a hand on Jin’s shoulder and Xavier whipped out the pistol and pointed it between Ross’ eyes.

“Don’t TOUCH him!” Xavier yelled, and Jin backed up, putting the cap back on the needle of the syringe. Xavier grit his teeth when Ross showed no signs of fear. “I’ll put a bullet in your head I swear to god I will.”

“You won’t shoot me,” Ross said, and Xavier froze. The gun was shaking in his hands and his finger was loose on the trigger and god dammit, Ross was right.

“You fucking try me,” Xavier threatened. Ross still didn’t move, his hands clasped in front of him. He stared calmly down the barrel of the pistol.

“Jin, infect him. He won’t shoot you either, that’s for sure,” he huffed, smirking for a moment. Xavier looked at Jin with wide eyes.

Jin shook his head. “No,” he said. “I-I can’t do that Ross. I can’t do that. You, I, I can’t do this anymore. This isn’t RIGHT!” He shouted the last bit, holding the syringe tightly in his hand. “This can’t go on, what you’re doing can’t go on.”

“We’re gonna stop you,” Xavier said, blue eyes intense. “It was a mistake getting us involved in this I hope you know that. We will stop you. We will always be better than you.”

“Oh will you.” Ross smiled. “And if you’re so much better than me, you’d know it’s way too late already.”

Jin gasped. Xavier just stared. “What the fuck do you mean by that,” he said, his voice blank. But he and Jin both already knew what Ross was implying.

“I mean, you’re too late. Do you think I would have invited two scientists from the CDC over to my secret lab if the effects of my disease weren’t already irreversible? It’s been out for months, you were all just too dull to see it,” Ross said, grinning wide. “Multiple starting places, multiple patient zeroes, multiple countries, from Australia to goddamn Seaport, of all places, my disease has spread to so many people by now. You just aren’t noticing. But you will.”

“Xavier we have to go back to the lab,” Jin said, his voice shaky. Xavier shook his head.

“He’s lying through his teeth, I’m not going anywhere. He’s a murderer and a chemical terrorist, we need to call someone. We have him at gunpoint now, he can’t move anywhere, he can’t cover up his tracks,” he explained, and Jin whined.

“I wouldn’t count on that, Xavier. A couple of hours not in the lab can cost a lot of lives later on,” Ross said, and Xavier shook his head again, but this time he was unsure.

“Xavier,” Jin said, his voice turning stern. “We can’t risk it, we have to go.”

“I can’t leave him after all he’s done,” Xavier said.

“Poor Xavier,” Ross cooed. “So emotional.”

“Xavier we have to go,” Jin repeated. “I don’t care about Ross, I care about the rest of the world.”

Xavier let out a shout of anger as he lowered his gun and ran towards the door, opening it. “Come on!” he yelled, and Jin ran after him.

[--]

Xavier didn’t bother parking correctly as his car screeched to a stop. He and Jin stumbled out and sprinted as fast as they could, hearts pounding. Jin pushed the CDC’s doors open and Xavier followed closely behind him as he sprinted through the familiar halls and upstairs to the lab. Jin held up his badge to the sensor and the light turned green. The two ran inside and Jin took the syringe out of his pocket, uncapping the needle. Xavier prepared a microscope slide.

“Let’s see what’s inside this thing,” he said, out of breath. Jin nodded and squeezed out a drop of the substance. Xavier bit his lip. “We’re breaking so many rules, what if this thing infects us?”

“It won’t, Ross said it’s transmitted through body fluids. A bite from the infected, most likely, if they’re out there wanting to fucking, eat people,” Jin replied, putting the clear strip over the slide and watching the substance spread out. “Just don’t touch your face.” He put it under the microscope and fixed the settings.

“We’ll run ourselves through the decontamination shower once we call someone-” Xavier froze. “Call someone, we need to call someone.”

“We will, just let me see what the hell is in this-”

Xavier glanced over at Jin, noticing the halt. “Jin? What is it?” he asked, walking closer. “Jin.”

“It’s water.”

Xavier froze. “What?”

Jin looked up and stepped away from the microscope. “It’s water,” he repeated. “It’s FUCKING WATER!”

Xavier looked into the microscope, and he saw it too. “Oh my god,” he mumbled.

“ALL THIS FUCKING TROUBLE AND IT’S FUCKING WATER!” Jin swiped his hand across the counter and sent a container of beakers flying and shattering on the ground. Xavier flinched and reached out. “Don’t fucking touch me. It’s fucking water, Xavier,” Jin breathed, glaring. “He knew I wouldn’t do it. He knew the whole fucking time that I wouldn’t infect you, he knew-” his eyes widened more. “HE KNEW I WAS FAKING THE WHOLE TIME!”

“Jin calm down, you’re gonna be okay, we’re all gonna be okay, we don’t even know if he’s telling the truth,” Xavier said, but he was seething too, it was clear.

“OH YEAH!” Jin screamed. “And if he’s not, how much more time does that give us? We don’t have a FUCKING COPY!”

Xavier couldn’t say anything more. Jin shook his head and scoffed emptily. “Jin,” Xavier finally uttered after a few seconds of grueling silence.

“Jin what. I’m taking that job. I’m going to DC,” Jin went over to the sink, and he started washing his hands. “And I’m taking my mother with me. Everything’s paid for, y’know. The flight, the hotel, everything. I just need to call.”

“You’re going to DC? Jin, we kind of have an issue here!” Xavier motioned to the microscope, and Jin shook his head.

“No. No! I can’t! If I spend one more minute dealing with Ross’ fucking asshole disease I’m going to go fucking insane.” Jin turned off the faucet and flicked the water off his hands. “So you call the hazmats, we’ll tell them everything, we’ll get cleaned up, and I’ll go fuck off to the White House. I…” Jin winced. “I advise you to come with me. You’re my best friend. If the world is going to end like Ross said… it’s better to be in a place that will be well protected. DC will be protected.”

Xavier was tearing up. “I can’t,” he said, looking around. “I can’t just ignore what’s going to happen. I need to, I need to help fix it. I’ll be protected here, I’m sure. You can go wherever you want, I won’t be mad, I understand, you got the worst of it.”

Jin sighed, and he shook his head. “I can’t be in Atlanta any longer.”

Xavier smiled. “Alright.” He held out his arms, and Jin embraced him, and they both cried for a little while, until Jin finally pulled away from the hug.

“Let’s call… everyone we can,” he said, and Xavier nodded, ruffling Jin’s hair.

[April 20, 2016]

“So, I mean, that’s it. That’s me, running away, when maybe I could’ve…” Jin shrugged. There was a chorus of soft voices comforting him that came next; Xavier side-hugged him, Nick grabbed his hands, and Ghetto slid over a box of tissues. “Guys, I’m fine, it was a while ago.”

“Not really. Two years, that’s not a lot when you think about it,” Ghetto mumbled. “I’m sorry you had to go through that man. You too Professor.”

Xavier flashed a smile. “You’re a nice kid,” he said, and Ghetto nodded back.

“Well wait.” Gray frowned, his hand on Xavier’s back. “You keep saying this countdown. You still had ten days left until the end of the world, what happened then?” the Major asked, and Xavier and Jin exchanged glances.

“It all fell apart, I guess,” Jin said.

[October 1, 2014 -- the end of the world]

“Stay here, I’ll see if any other civilians survived, I’ll be right back, okay?” an army woman ordered, and Jin nodded obediently.

“Yeah yeah no problem,” he said. “Be back.” He watched the woman leave as the bunker door sealed shut. He huddled up in the secret White House bunker for hours as gunshot echoed faintly from upstairs. At some point he pulled out his phone and tried to get ahold of his mother, but there was no service.

All he could do was sit and wait and pray that his loved ones were still alive. He hoped that Xavier was okay, his gut twisting at the thought of his best friend being infected or being torn apart by walkers, all because of some sick fuck who decided it would be fun to end the world in a truly vile way.

That army lady never did come back.

[--]

Xavier and a bunch of other scientists were huddled close in the back of the CDC, guarded heavily by marines; the place was almost immediately fortified when the infection spread, and scientists, including Xavier, were immediately put to work on a cure.

There were two marines guarding the door, and suddenly one got a call on his radio.

“Garrett to Fallon, over.”

“Yessir? Over.”

“Washington DC has fallen, all remaining troops, staff, and civilians are dead or turned, no survivors reported, over.”

Xavier stopped breathing.

“Holy shitballs, over and out.”

The marine’s eyes seemed to widen. “You hear that?” he said to his partner, who nodded. “DC, the White House… it’s done. That means the President…”

All the scientists started to mumble, and a couple rubbed Xavier’s back and whispered reassuring words. Xavier sat there for a while, silent, but suddenly he got up and ran at the door. The marines stopped him, holding him back. “NO! No I need to go. I NEED TO GO! He’s my friend I can’t just LEAVE him there to DIE!” he screamed, trying to wrench himself away.

“You can’t go anywhere, you’re a valuable asset! There are no survivors in DC, if that’s what this is all about. I’m sorry but whoever you’re talking about is gone,” one of the marines said sternly. Xavier started to slow, then stop, until the marines let go of him.

“Jin,” he whispered, his eyes welling up with tears. He covered his mouth and backed up against the wall. “Oh god Jin.” Xavier embraced a friend, who tried to comfort him as he started to cry.

[June 27, 2015]

“Professor Xavier, someone wants to see you,” a marine said, standing awkwardly at the entrance to the lab. Xavier glanced up. “He just arrived and he wants to get familiar with everyone.”

“Well, get to it then,” Xavier said, stepping away from the table, arms crossed over his chest. The marine stepped aside, and a man walked in, dressed in full camouflage, a bulletproof vest, and a helmet, which he took off. He looked to be in his forties. His eyes were gray, and for a second Xavier glared; but that man’s eyes weren’t the same kind of gray as Ross’ were. They were soft, and sweet.

“Hey. I understand you’ve been through quite a bit,” the man said. He held out a hand. “Major Gray, here to help.”

Xavier shook his hand, a bit flustered. He adjusted his coat and tried to smile. “You look tired, Major. Why aren’t you resting?”

“I am. I took one hell of a trip. Hung out with some twenty-somethings for a while, that was a trip,” the Major scoffed. “My men set up a room for me, but, y’know, I’ve been travelling alone for so long. I wanted to talk to someone. Mind if I distract you a bit?”

“Sure, I could use some water,” Xavier said without thinking. Gray smiled.

“To the supply room it is.”

[August 05, 2015]

Jin was eating a can of peaches, sitting alone in the middle of the bunker, when he heard talking. He froze and scrambled to his feet, running up to the door and trying to listen. His heart pounded in his chest.

“Hello? Is anyone in there?” one voice asked. They were pounding on the door.

“We need help, if anyone’s in there, please!” another said, and Jin bit his fingernails and stepped back. It was the first time he’d heard voices in months, what if it was some kind of freak hallucination from being alone for so long?

But they needed help.

“Come on guys, let’s face the music. If someone’s in there, they aren’t coming out. Especially not for us.”

“Wait,” Jin whispered. He bounced, still uncertain. He gripped his hair. “Wait a second.”

“Ghetto’s right, there’s really no point. Even if someone was in there, what would make them help us anyway?”

Jin slumped his shoulders, feeling sad. He shut his eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Come on Nick, let’s just go.”

“Yeah. Yeah alright.”

Jin reached over, wrapped his hand around the lever that opened the door, and pulled it down.

[April 20, 2016]

Everyone was headed to bed, but Jin and Xavier stayed in the mess hall, sitting next to each other with glasses of lukewarm water on the table in front of them.

“I don’t think you were a coward for running away,” Xavier said. “Nick doesn’t think so either, and hell, he’s one of the most empathetic guys out there so, I mean, I’d believe him. He knows this stuff.”

Jin scoffed. “It’s odd how thoughts can change after you say them out loud. I realize now, I knew deep down, even then, I couldn’t do anything to stop the infection. I knew that it was a lost cause and my presence wouldn’t have changed anything, really. He got too far too fast for anyone to really be able to stop it before it ended the world. But I do still regret leaving.”

“Why?” Xavier asked, tilting his head. Jin smiled.

“It’s corny. I regret leaving because I got separated from my best friend,” he said, and Xavier opened his mouth, touched.

“Oh god, Jin Huang, don’t do that to me.” Xavier ruffled Jin’s hair. “I missed you too, you big nerd.”

**Author's Note:**

> you wanna know what happened to the mouse????? YOU WANNA KNOW???????


End file.
